When plotting out the structure of an essay, a chapter or even a book, nothing banishes distractions from the writer’s mind so effectively as some form of rhythmic exercise. Walking through London did the trick for Dickens, and England’s beaches, rivers, lanes and landscapes have seeded a veritable kingdom of poems, plays and novels, but there’s always the temptation for us lesser souls to look about and start thinking of something closer to home. Gardening, perhaps…